| No. 24 | |||||||||
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| Position: | Running back | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | (1959-04-22)April 22, 1959 (age 65) Jackson, Mississippi, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height: | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 216 lb (98 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Phineas Banning (Los Angeles, California) | ||||||||
| College: | UCLA (1977–1980) | ||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1981: 1st round, 3rd pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Freeman McNeil (born April 22, 1959) is an American former professionalfootball player who was arunning back for theNew York Jets of theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for theUCLA Bruins. He was selected by the Jets in the first round of the1981 NFL draft with the third overall pick.
McNeil was born inJackson,Mississippi. His family later relocated toLos Angeles,California.
McNeil ledBanning High School to the 1976 Los Angeles City 4-A football title.[1] At 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m), 214 lb (97 kg) he attended theUniversity of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) as arunning back, where he was a two-timeAll-Pac-10 selection. In his final game, he caught a deflected pass from quarterbackJay Schroeder that was tipped byUSC defensive backJeff Fisher and went 57 yards for the winning touchdown with two minutes left in theBruins' 20–17 win.
In four seasons at UCLA, McNeil rushed for 3,195 yards and 21 touchdowns, with an average of more than 5 yards per carry.[2]
McNeil played in 12 NFL seasons for the New York Jets from 1981 to 1992. During the mid to late 1980s he was a member of the Jets' "Two Headed Monster" backfield along with teammateJohnny Hector, a tandem that ranked among the league's elite. When he retired he was the Jets all-time leading rusher with 8,074 yards; he was surpassed byCurtis Martin and currently ranks second in Jets team history. In 1982, McNeil led theNFL in rushing with 786 yards. He was the first Jet to the lead the league in rushing. He is one of a few running backs in NFL history to average at least 4.0 yards per carry in every season he played.
From 1990 to 1992 McNeil was the lead plaintiff in a case won by jury verdict that struck down the NFL's Plan Bfree agency system, under which teams could protect 37 players. McNeil and the seven other plaintiffs were among the protected players listed by their teams. The system was deemed too restrictive and a violation ofantitrust laws. However, Freeman was not one of the four plaintiffs awarded damages.[3] The suit is considered a major step in the achievement of free agency rights by theNFL Players Association.[4]
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Led the league | |
| Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | Fumbles | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Att | Yds | Avg | Y/G | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Fum | FR | ||
| 1981 | NYJ | 11 | 6 | 137 | 623 | 4.5 | 56.6 | 43 | 2 | 18 | 171 | 9.5 | 18 | 1 | 5 | 0 |
| 1982 | NYJ | 9 | 9 | 151 | 786 | 5.2 | 87.3 | 48 | 6 | 16 | 187 | 11.7 | 32 | 1 | 7 | 0 |
| 1983 | NYJ | 9 | 9 | 160 | 654 | 4.1 | 72.7 | 19 | 1 | 21 | 172 | 8.2 | 21 | 3 | 4 | 1 |
| 1984 | NYJ | 12 | 12 | 229 | 1,070 | 4.7 | 89.2 | 53 | 5 | 25 | 294 | 11.8 | 32 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
| 1985 | NYJ | 14 | 13 | 294 | 1,331 | 4.5 | 95.1 | 69 | 3 | 38 | 427 | 11.2 | 25 | 2 | 9 | 0 |
| 1986 | NYJ | 12 | 11 | 214 | 856 | 4.0 | 71.3 | 40 | 5 | 49 | 410 | 8.4 | 26 | 1 | 8 | 0 |
| 1987 | NYJ | 9 | 8 | 121 | 530 | 4.4 | 58.9 | 30 | 0 | 24 | 262 | 10.9 | 57 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1988 | NYJ | 16 | 16 | 219 | 944 | 4.3 | 59.0 | 28 | 6 | 34 | 288 | 8.5 | 25 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| 1989 | NYJ | 11 | 7 | 80 | 352 | 4.4 | 32.0 | 19 | 2 | 31 | 310 | 10.0 | 25 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1990 | NYJ | 16 | 4 | 99 | 458 | 4.6 | 28.6 | 29 | 6 | 16 | 230 | 14.4 | 59 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1991 | NYJ | 13 | 1 | 51 | 300 | 5.9 | 23.1 | 58 | 2 | 7 | 56 | 8.0 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1992 | NYJ | 12 | 1 | 43 | 170 | 4.0 | 14.2 | 18 | 0 | 16 | 154 | 9.6 | 32 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Career | 144 | 97 | 1,798 | 8,074 | 4.5 | 56.1 | 69 | 38 | 295 | 2,961 | 10.0 | 59 | 12 | 45 | 4 | |
In 2005, McNeil was inducted into the Nassau County Sports Hall of Fame.[5]
Freeman McNeil and Gene Mayer get inducted into the county's hall of fame.